Oof. Somehow, that might have been the worst loss yet for the Las Vegas Raiders. At least the last three had some positive takeaways. There was nothing to feel good about that 40-6 beatdown at the hands of Daniel Jones and the Colts. Here are a few overreactions.
It is time for Geno Smith to hang it up…
There is no way around it. Geno Smith has absolutely nothing left in the tank. It looks like he just cannot process the game anymore. For starters, the decision-making is absolutely horrendous. Time after time, Smith continues to throw in double- and triple- coverage. To make matters worse, even his completions look bad. Today there were several times in which Smith completed the pass but was either late on the throw or passed up an open receiver in favor of a check down.
Usually, a quarterback’s eyes and processing ability are the last things to go. Smith can still throw the ball decently well, but he has completely forgotten how to play football. At this point, you cannot even trust him to be a backup because he cannot even take advantage of many well-designed plays. At 34 years old, Smith needs to take a look in the mirror and ask himself if he even wants to keep doing the job anymore.
That being said, the quarterback is not the only thing wrong with this team.
The Raiders (somehow) look worse this year…
Given that Las Vegas only managed to win four games in the previous season, there was minimal potential for regression. Somehow, the Raiders have seemed to find a way to do it. Smith’s attempt to give the best Gardner Minshew impression is undoubtedly a significant contributing factor. However, if the quarterback play were the only issue, the team would still be just as bad as it was last year.
That is not the case.
The defense is significantly worse, especially in the secondary, where the Raiders have managed to downgrade from the injury-riddled unit they had last year. Las Vegas even looks worse in areas they haven’t changed, like on the offensive line.
This situation raises the question of who is at fault.
John Spytek’s seat should be getting warmer…
It is challenging to call for a general manager’s head five weeks in, but we are quickly getting to that point. It is difficult to see any moves that made the Raiders better this year. The Ashton Jeanty pick is the only one that comes to mind, but you could argue taking a running back sixth overall was a luxury that the Raiders could not afford considering how awful this team is.
Looking elsewhere, the complete overhaul of the back half of the defense has been a complete disaster, much like the trade for Smith. There are not a ton of promising young players to build around, either.
Spytek took a ton of big swings in the draft on project players. Most of them seem far from being effective starters, if they ever get there. The Raiders general manager likely has another year, but his actions should be closely monitored going forward.
Related: What Is Going On With Geno Smith?
*Top Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images